Experts are quick to point to how the Pittsburgh Penguins have thrived the last two seasons despite serious injuries to their star players. I think that’s just a small part of the equation.
What about teams that win and never possess that caliber of talent in the first place? Phoenix just ran the table with a 12-0-1 record in February. Their leading scorers are Ray Whitney and Radim Vrbata. Coyotes head coach Dave Tippett should probably be an annual finalist for the Jack Adams Award.
After watching the Penguins play for three seasons under Bylsma, what really stands out isn’t his positive attitude. It’s his constant innovation and creativity. His relentless pursuit of new information. His thoughtful line combinations, situational matchups and effective use of timeouts.
Bylsma isn’t the only one to have a firm grasp on these all-but-invisible aspects of the game, but he and his staff are certainly ahead of the curve.
The Penguins have been carried offensively by the Evgeni Malkin, James Neal, Chris Kunitz line this season. The trio possesses a ton of skill, but part of their success that gets ignored is Bylsma’s ability to put them into scoring situations, particularly on home ice where Pittsburgh gets the last line change.
Bylsma tosses the Malkin line on the ice at the end of almost every period. He unleashes them at the end of penalties before tired powerplay units have a chance to change. He even manages their ice time so they are well-rested and ready to take offensive zone faceoffs coming out of the two television timeouts each period.
The Penguins have dozens of faceoff plays designed to take advantage of individual player abilities and manipulate defenders. We discussed Malkin’s new focus on winning faceoffs a few months ago. With the addition of a pure sniper in James Neal, Malkin’s line has suddenly become as dangerous off the draw as they are on a three-man rush up ice.
January 22 vs Washington
Over the first half of the season, Neal scored a handful of goals off the faceoff by standing and shooting from directly behind Malkin.To Read the rest of this Article Click Here!
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